Q&A: Sign and Cause
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Sign and Cause
Question
Hello Rabbi,
When people say that A is not the cause of B but rather a sign of B, does that mean there is some third cause, C, which causes B and also causes A?
(Or more precisely, if we go up the causal chain of A and B, will we necessarily find a cause common to both of them?)
Thank you,
Answer
Not necessarily. Sometimes B is the cause of A, and therefore when A happens it is a sign that B occurred.
Discussion on Answer
Not necessarily. It could be coincidental. But that’s very unlikely. If it’s coincidental, then there’s no relation of sign or cause. Just an accidental correlation.
But does there have to be some kind of causal connection between them? (In one of the three ways above)